[ScareyH22A]

I heard that leaving shells loaded in the mag tube can create a bulge on the plastic shells which will make them really tight or impossible to cycle.

1. Is this true or false?
2. Has it happened to any of you?
3. How long can you leave shells in the tube before any ill effects?
4. Can you leave just 1 or 2 in there so that there's very little pressure from the spring?

Thanks guys. :beer:

[briangsxr600]

I have had shells in my moss 500 for a year and shot it to empty it and had no problems loading or cycling.

[Fred Fuller]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=434973 is the most recent discussion along these lines.

1) True
2) Yes - even had one hull split open once.
3) It varies with the shells and the gun/magazine spring. As a rule it takes longer for problems to develop than a responsible owner will go without shooting up the ammo in the gun and replacing it with fresh ammo. IOW, letting it happen is shortsightedness on the owners' part.
4) It won't hurt to load it near full or even full if you want- just shoot up the ammo it's loaded with on a regular and recurring basis. Every few months should be often enough, unless you have a really strong mag spring and/or soft hulls.

lpl

[mbt2001]

One more reason why I favor the coachgun for home defense... Springs that cost $0.01 cents and made in China make me nervous...

[Virginian]

How do you feel about stuff made in Italy, or Turkey ? :D

[edrice]

Could this be a notion that got started during the days of paper shells and in more humid climates? Some of the tough plastics that are used today I just can't imagining this happening.

Ed

[Badger Arms]

Ed gave the answer I was going to give. Yes, it's true, but this came from the days of paper shells. It's not really AS much an issue these days. The amount of force on these shells is really not as much as you might imagine. I take the Home Defense gun to the range about once a quarter. Always start by emptying what was in the gun. You'll never have the problem. A really anal-retentive guy might rotate magazine springs at that time as well... but I'm waiting for an FTF first that I can blame on a mag spring. I'll consider rotating springs if that ever happens!

[dfariswheel]

The bulged cases really started showing up when the police started using plastic shells.

The pressure of the strong spring in the 870P Police guns combined with the constant bumping of the gun in the upright patrol car lock rack and summer heat caused the shells to start to bulge between the shell head and the shot column.
Magazine extensions seem to make it even worst.

The fastest I've seen was one month. I had a 870P loaded with 4 rounds of Federal #1 buck and the shells started to bulge after one month.
To be fair, the shells were sitting on the shelf for several years before being loaded into the gun.
Cheap and foreign made shells seem to be the worse.

[DBR]

The Federal LE line of buckshot and slugs is supposedly designed to resist the bulging problem. Even so, I load -1 and use the lightest mag spring that is reliable. I have had shells loaded this way for several years without a problem. The other thing the premium shells have is solid brass heads instead of plated steel. This prevents corrosion.